UBTEB calls for review of TVET policy on special needs education

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KAMPALA - The Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board (UBTEB) has called for support in a bid to increase capacity for training and assessment of people with special education needs (SNE) in vocational education.

"As the board, we have the capacity because we started sometime back to recruit (SNE) staff and train them, but the challenge we see which we have brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education and Sports as the in charge of policy and delivery is that when you go to the training institutions (you will find that) is it was not thought of to consider SNE, " said Onesmus Oyesigye, the executive secretary UBTEB.

"We are discussing with them and we will give a report back (to the ministry). We want to see instructors who have been specifically trained to handle these students."

He was speaking to journalists ahead of the UBTEB exams which commence Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Secretariat headquarters in Ntinda in Kampala on Saturday.

According to him, while they have now acquired equipment for the assessment of the SNE candidates there is a need for training institutions to play a proper part in training if the country is to achieve inclusive education in technical vacation and education training (TVET).

He said as part of enhancing inclusive education, the Board has registered a total of 118 candidates with special needs (69 male and 49 female) pursuing various TVET professions.

Of these candidates, 66 candidates will require special attention. The Special Needs Education (SNE) cases include; dyslexia, visual impairment (blindness), hard of hearing (deaf), and physical disability.

He said the Special needs candidates will be accorded special examination arrangements such as sign language interpreters and transcribers, while others will be accorded an extra 30 minutes.

"The Board has accordingly deployed 66 support personnel to assist candidates with special needs," he said.

In total thare are 32,726 candidates students out of which 17,357 candidates are female and 15,369 are male are sitting exams at 294 exam centres across the country.

The exams start on Monday and will conclude on June 14.

Under the TVET Policy 2019, the Government recognizes that effective technical skills are vital for the individual, enterprise, and the economy since they lead to self-reliance at the family level, increased productivity, profits, and higher incomes for the nation.

This is in a bid to support the creation of needed employable skills and competencies relevant to the national transformational labour market as opposed to just the acquisition of educational certificates.

Under the policy, the government targets all Ugandans in need of skills for employment.